West Ham United Born in
Hornchurch, East London, Having been consistent and scoring 20 goals in 15 games to February 2008, Academy coach
Tony Carr warned Sears that he needed to remain focused in order to achieve his goal of breaking into the first-team squad. Sears had already been asked on a frequent basis to train alongside the first-team under
Alan Curbishley's stewardship. Sears managed a total of 17 under-18 games, starting 16 matches scoring 22 goals. He also appeared in one
FA Youth Cup game, and started four reserve games, appearing in six and scoring three goals. and he was then handed his first-team debut on 15 March, aged 18, in a
Premier League game against
Blackburn Rovers. With both sides deadlocked at 1–1, Sears came on for
Nolberto Solano in the 75th minute and scored the winner, also his debut goal, just five minutes and 16 seconds into his first-team career, heading in the rebound from his initial attempt at goal. Sears said that he was buzzing following his debut, and it was made even sweeter as a West Ham fan with his friends and family in the stands at the
Boleyn Ground. Sears again appeared as a substitute one week later as West Ham secured a draw at
Everton. He had a chance to win the game in the 90th minute, but his effort clipped the post. in 2008 Sears made his first senior start for West Ham on 19 April in a match with
Derby County. After featuring for 75 minutes, manager Alan Curbishley was verbally abused by the home fans when he withdrew Sears and replaced him with
Carlton Cole. However, Curbishley's decision was justified just two minutes later when Cole scored the winner for the Hammers. Sears ended the season with a total of seven first-team appearances.
2008–09 season Sears missed
2008–09 pre-season with West Ham due to international duty with the
England under-19s in the
European Under-19 Championship. He featured in his first game of pre-season in a youthful Hammers side that beat
Thurrock on 27 July. He made his first appearance of the season for the first-team in West Ham's 2–1 win over
Wigan Athletic on 16 August 2008. Sears signed a new five-year contract in November 2008. Sears played 17 Premier League games during the season, alongside three
FA Cup and two
League Cup appearances. He also featured for the Reserve side, making seven appearances and scoring five goals. He scored all four goals for the Hammers in a 4–3 win over
West Bromwich Albion on 30 September 2008.
Leyton Orient manager
Geraint Williams expressed an interest in signing Sears on loan, but showed concern that he may but put off in signing for a
League One club.
Crystal Palace manager
Neil Warnock also showed his interest in taking Sears on loan, before confirming his signing on a season-long loan deal on 22 June 2009.
Crystal Palace (loan) Warnock said he was "delighted" to have Sears on board at the club following his loan signing, praising the player for agreeing to the switch despite late interest from
Queens Park Rangers. Sears scored in his first appearance in Palace colours on 14 July, scoring in a 5–2 win in
Baltimore, US, against Crystal Palace's American affiliates
Crystal Palace Baltimore. He made it two goals in two pre-season games, netting a 20-yard shot in their 3–1 win against
Harrisburg City Islanders on 17 July. Sears later told Warnock that he was happy to play where his manager wanted following his positive start to his Crystal Palace career. He scored his third goal in four games in a 3–0 friendly win over
Bristol Rovers on 24 July, before starting in Palace's
Championship opening fixture against
Plymouth Argyle on 8 August. Sears admitted that he should have scored a debut goal but was confident he would be on the scoresheet before too long. Sears started in Palace's next match against
Bristol City at
Ashton Gate, and looked to have scored his first goal for the club in the fixture on 15 August. However, the match officials failed to see the ball cross the line and the goal was not awarded after Sears shot had flown into the back of the net, hit the stanchion at the back of the goal and bounced back out. Palace went on to lose 1–0 to a late goal from
Nicky Maynard. Following his appearances for
England under-21s and a goal against
Macedonia, Neil Warnock hoped that Sears' goal for his country would help to break his duck at Crystal Palace. He returned to first-team action as a second-half substitute in Palace's 4–0 defeat by
Scunthorpe United on 12 September, where he missed a
penalty despite wrestling the ball from usual penalty taker
Neil Danns with the intention of scoring his first goal for the club. Sears injured his ankle late in the game, and left
Selhurst Park wearing a cast. He returned to action as a substitute for the injured
Victor Moses in the Eagles 1–1 draw at
Cardiff City on 17 October. In November 2009, Warnock confirmed that Sears was not able to be recalled by West Ham before January, with his parent club struggling for forwards following an injury to Carlton Cole, although Warnock later said that he was aiming to get Sears scoring for the team, with West Ham now reportedly willing to allow Sears to join Palace on a permanent basis in January. In December, despite still failing to find the back of the net for the club, West Ham announced their intention to recall Sears from his loan to attempt to ease their injury troubles. Warnock confirmed that following Crystal Palace's game with
Swansea City on 28 December, Sears would return to the Hammers. After making 19 appearances in the league and
League Cup, Sears completed his loan spell without making the scoresheet.
First return to West Ham Sears returned to West Ham after his Crystal Palace loan and went into the squad to face
Arsenal in the third round of the
FA Cup on 3 January 2010. He came on as a substitute for
Frank Nouble in the 2–1 home defeat to a warm reception from the Hammers faithful. He played just once more for the club during the season, with his last appearance coming in the
Premier League, once again as a late substitute for Nouble in a 0–0 home draw with
Blackburn Rovers on 30 January. He did however score twice in the
Premier Reserve League 4–2 defeat to Arsenal on 12 January. He made two appearances in the Reserve League across the season. while Sears was reassured by West Ham manager
Gianfranco Zola that he still had a future at
Upton Park. Sears said that City manager
Chris Coleman was a major influence in his decision to join the club based on his past achievements with
Fulham, and that
Bristol City had made a late attempt to sign the player. He made his City debut on 13 February, replacing
Clinton Morrison after 67 minutes in a 1–0 win over
Queens Park Rangers. Despite making only substitute appearances for his first six games for the Sky Blues, Sears hoped to push for a starting position, and confirmed that there was a possibility that he could return to the Ricoh Arena for the 2010–11 season. He then made his first start for the club on 27 March in a 1–1 home draw with
Sheffield Wednesday. After starting for Coventry in their 1–0 away defeat to
Sheffield United on 10 April, Sears suffered an ankle injury in training, ruling him out of action briefly, but a set-back in his recovery effectively ruled him out of contention for the remainder of the season. Sears' loan spell ended with ten league appearances for the Sky Blues, once again failing to find the back of the net.
2010–11 season in 2010 Sears returned to West Ham in May 2010 following his loan stint with Coventry, where he played in
Academy director
Tony Carr's testimonial match, scoring West Ham's fourth goal in their 5–1 win against an Academy All-Star team. On 30 July, Sears scored all four goals in a pre-season game for the reserves against
Bishop's Stortford in his quest to earn a place in the West Ham first team. He made a late substitute appearance against
Bolton Wanderers on 21 August, replacing Carlton Cole with three minutes remaining of the Hammers' 3–1 home loss. Sears then made his first start since 16 March 2009 three days later when West Ham faced
Oxford United in the League Cup. Sears played for 78 minutes in the 1–0 victory before being replaced by
Benni McCarthy.
Scunthorpe United (loan) Sears returned to the
Championship on loan once again on 19 October 2010, joining
Scunthorpe United for one month ahead of their clash with
Preston North End the same day. He made his debut in the match, playing the full 90 minutes as the Iron emerged 3–2 victors. Manager
Ian Baraclough was pleased with the impact Sears had in the game, with his 83rd minute shot hitting the post, allowing
Martyn Woolford to score. The club extended Sears loan stay in November ahead of their clash with
Cardiff City, keeping him with Scunthorpe until January. After making nine starts but failing to score for the club, Sears was recalled by his parent club in December 2010 following another injury crisis at
Upton Park.
Second return to West Ham On his return to West Ham, Sears was thrust into the starting line-up for the Hammers' Boxing Day clash with
Fulham at
Craven Cottage, a game in which he played the full 90 minutes and West Ham won 3–1. Manager
Avram Grant opted to play Sears in a
right midfield role for the games against Fulham and a 1–1 draw with
Everton on 28 December, games in which Sears put in solid performances. Sears said that his loan spell away with Scunthorpe left him feeling "refreshed" and he felt "like a new man". Sears then scored his second-ever goal for the club on New Year's Day 2011 in the basement battle against
Wolverhampton Wanderers, sealing their 2–0 victory with a 15-yard strike eleven minutes from the full-time whistle. Sears featured in all of West Ham's January 2011 fixtures, but fell out of favour, before returning to action for the Hammer's 5–1
FA Cup win against
Burnley on 21 February. Having started the game, Sears scored in the 90th minute to complete the scoring for his side and seal their place in the quarter-finals. West Ham were relegated from the
Premier League, finishing the season in 20th position. Sears ended his season with two goals in 15 games for the Hammers. He also scored in their 2–0 friendly home win against
Real Zaragoza on 30 July. New West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce handed Sears a start for their opening Championship fixture on 7 August, a 1–0 home defeat to
Cardiff City. However, after making twelve first team appearances, Sears began to find his chances limited by new arrivals in the January transfer window.
Colchester United (loan) League One side
Colchester United signed Sears in an emergency loan signing from West Ham on 17 February 2012 for one month. He made his debut the following day in a 3–2 away defeat to
Yeovil Town. The U's extended Sears loan stay until the end of the season, but the striker had only started three games until that point, with Sears targeting a run in the team when his next opportunity arose. Sears scored his first goal in over a year with an 81st minute
penalty which secured a 1–1 draw with
Hartlepool United on 6 April. Two games later, Sears netted again in Colchester's 4–2 defeat of
Tranmere Rovers in their final home game of the
2011–12 season. Sears' solo effort ended a streak of eleven League One matches without a win. He ended his loan stint with the U's having scored twice in eleven appearances. In June 2012, Sears left West Ham United by mutual consent. He had made 58 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals.
Colchester United 2012–13 season On 4 July 2012,
Colchester United confirmed the permanent signing of Sears from
West Ham United on a three-year deal following his release from the Hammers. He scored his third goal in two games in their 3–2 win against
Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands on 18 July, before facing his former club West Ham for the first time since leaving in a friendly at the
Colchester Community Stadium, a game which the Hammers edged 2–1. He described the experience of playing against his former employers as "a bit surreal". Sears was on target again in Colchester's 2–1 win at
Maldon & Tiptree on 28 July and then scored a further brace against
Derby County on 3 August in a 2–2 draw. Sears made his full-time debut for Colchester on 18 August in their 0–0 away draw with
Preston North End. He scored his first goal in his second stint with the club in the
Football League Trophy defeat to
Northampton Town on 9 October, scoring Colchester's goal in the 2–1 loss, with his first league goal arriving as the opener in Colchester's 3–2 defeat to
Crewe Alexandra at
Gresty Road on 10 November. Sears netted in the following game to bring his tally to three for the season when the U's hosted
Bury on 17 November, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory. His next goal came in the U's 2–1 home defeat to his former club
Scunthorpe United on 12 January 2013, a game in which the club set a record with their ninth consecutive league defeat. However, Sears netted in the 89th minute of their next game, a 2–0 win against
Walsall to earn his fifth of the season, converting a low cross from
George Porter. He scored from the penalty spot to help Colchester on their way to another three points in their next match against
Portsmouth in their 3–2 win at
Fratton Park on 2 February. Sears form continued on 9 February with his fourth goal in five matches, his close range effort proving decisive in their 1–0 home victory against Preston. He scored his eighth and final goal of the season on 26 February in a 2–0 home win against
Yeovil Town. Sears said of his good form that "this is the first time in a long while I've really been enjoying it [playing]". A short time after, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for seven games, making his return as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to
Notts County on 13 April as Colchester battled for League One survival. Sears ended his first full season with the club with eight goals in 37 appearances in all competitions.
2013–14 season Sears scored his first pre-season goal for Colchester in their 2–1 win against Maldon & Tiptree, having scored in the same fixture with the same result last season. Sears opened his League One account for the
2013–14 season in a 1–1 draw with
Sheffield United at
Bramall Lane on 17 August and followed this up by scoring an equaliser in another 1–1 draw with
Carlisle United at home six days later. Sears missed two games with a groin injury in September, but he returned to action on 14 September in Colchester's trip to
Bradford City. Sears scored his third goal of the season with the opening goal in Colchester's 1–1 draw with
Crawley Town on 21 September, and then scored his fourth goal in a 1–1 draw at home to
Walsall on 12 October. A hamstring problem forced Sears to limp from the pitch after just 30 minutes of their 1–1 away draw with
Shrewsbury Town on 22 October, Having seemingly recovered from the hamstring injury, Sears was selected to face
Preston North End on 23 November, but he broke down after just 28 minutes in the game. The recurrence of that injury kept him out of the side until 11 January 2014, where he featured as a late substitute in a 3–0 victory over
Gillingham. He scored with the last kick of the game after five minutes of injury time to bring his goal count to five for the season. His sixth goal came as the opener in a 2–1 home victory against his former club Coventry on 8 March, netting after five minutes, before collecting his seventh of the season against
Bristol City on 22 March with a levelling goal in the sides' 2–2 draw, securing a point with an effort from 20-yards after being brought on when the U's had a two-goal deficit. He scored again on 5 April as his side fell to a 2–1 defeat at home to
Tranmere Rovers, and scored twice in Colchester's relegation-battle tie with
Stevenage on 12 April. Sears scored on the stroke of half-time to level the scores at 1–1, before following up a goal from
Jabo Ibehre to hand the U's a 3–1 lead in the game, which eventually ended 3–2. He again scored twice to bring his total number for the season to twelve goals, as Colchester won 4–1 against already-promoted
Brentford on 26 April.
2014–15 season 2014–15 pre-season began with an opening fixture goal for Sears in the U's 4–1 win at
Brantham Athletic on 12 July 2014, before scoring a brace in the 8–0 rout at
Heybridge Swifts three days later. He scored again on 17 July with a penalty against
Sudbury, before scoring in his fourth consecutive match with four goals in an 8–1 win over
Leiston on 19 July. He scored his first goal of the campaign in League One during a 2–1 defeat to
Notts County at
Meadow Lane on 19 August. He scored his second goal of the season in a 3–1 home defeat to
Peterborough United on 30 August, reducing the U's deficit at 2–1, and then secured his third goal of the season on 13 September when Colchester defeated
Leyton Orient 2–0 at
Brisbane Road. He continued his good scoring form when he tapped home a spilled save from
Sheffield United goalkeeper
Mark Howard in an eventual 3–2 defeat to the Blades on 16 September. His fifth goal of the season began proceedings in a 3–0 win away to
Crewe Alexandra on 27 September when he converted a
Sanchez Watt cross from six yards. In the
Football League Trophy, Sears scored his sixth goal of the season with a late equaliser in a 3–3 draw with
Gillingham on 8 October, slotting home
Elliott Hewitt's low cross. He scored the equaliser from the edge of the box in a 1–1 draw with
Scunthorpe United at
Glanford Park on 18 October, before scoring his eighth of the season with an 87th-minute winner at the
Community Stadium against
Chesterfield on 21 October. He earned a consolation goal for his side in their 2–1 home reverse by
Port Vale on 1 November, but took his goal tally into double figures for the season in the next match on 9 November when Colchester faced
Gosport Borough in the
FA Cup first round. Having already provided an assist for Sanchez Watt and with Colchester 2–0 up, Sears converted a penalty kick after he was brought down in the area. He scored again in the 78th minute to restore a three-goal cushion for his side, tapping home into an empty net in a match that eventually ended 6–3. He scored his fourth goal in three games in the U's 3–2 away defeat to
Barnsley on 14 November. After not scoring for all of December as Colchester fell into the relegation positions, Sears' 13th goal of the campaign finally arrived as a consolation in the U's 3–1 FA Cup defeat to
Cardiff City at the
Cardiff City Stadium on 2 January 2015 following a neat passing move. He scored his tenth League One goal and 14th of the season with the opener in Colchester's 2–0 away victory over Peterborough on 10 January.
Ipswich Town With his deal at Colchester set to expire in the summer of 2015, Sears signed a -year contract with
Championship side
Ipswich Town for a transfer fee of £100,000 on 16 January 2015. After making his debut on 17 January in Ipswich's 3–1 win over
Millwall at
The Den, where he came on as a substitute and provided the assist for
Jonathan Parr's goal. He scored his first goal for the Blues in their 3–2 defeat to
Brighton & Hove Albion from the bench on 21 January. Sears finished with nine goals in his debut season and formed a partnership with League top-scorer
Daryl Murphy as Town reached the play-offs. He scored 6 goals in 47 appearances during the 2015–2016 season. His goal scoring form improved during the second half of the season. He scored 7 goals in 43 appearances over the course of the 2016–2017 season. He scored his second goal in as many games on the final day of the season, netting the opening goal in a 2–2 draw with
Middlesbrough at
Portman Road. After the arrival of new manager
Paul Lambert during the 2018–19 season, following the departure of former manager
Paul Hurst, Sears enjoyed a good run of form, including winning the Championship goal of the month for his 30-yard strike against
Aston Villa at
Villa Park on 26 January 2019, a goal which also won him Ipswich's goal of the season award for the 2018–19 season. Sears was stretchered off in an
East Anglian derby against Norwich in February 2019, and was expected to be out for up to twelve months with a cruciate ligament injury. On 31 July 2019, Sears signed a new two-year contract at Portman Road, with the option of a further year extension. After 10 months out due to injury, Sears made his return to the first team on 26 December 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 home draw to
Gillingham. He scored his first goal of the season on his first league start, netting in a 1–2 away loss to
Blackpool at
Bloomfield Road. He made 12 appearances during the season following his return from injury. After five and a half seasons at the club, Sears was released at the end of the season. He finished his Ipswich career having scored 34 goals in 218 appearances.
Return to Colchester United On 15 June 2021, Sears returned to former club Colchester United following his release from Ipswich, signing a two-year contract. He made his third debut for the U's on 7 August 2021 in a 0–0 draw away at
Carlisle United. He scored his first goal since his return to the club on 17 August in Colchester's 1–1 draw with
Mansfield Town. In that 2021/22 season, Sears ended with 17 goals from 53 appearances. In the 2022/23 season Sears was mostly restricted to appearances off the bench, scoring just four goals as Colchester struggled near the bottom of the table. In a rare start Sears missed a 91st-minute penalty in a 0–1 defeat against relegation rivals Rochdale. At the end of the season Sears was released by Colchester. He departed the club by mutual consent in March 2024.
Braintree Town Later that month, after leaving Dagenham & Redbridge, Sears opted to join
National League South side,
Braintree Town.
Chatham Town On 19 July 2024, Sears joined
Isthmian League Premier Division side
Chatham Town.
Maldon & Tiptree On 17 June 2025, Sears agreed to join Isthmian League North Division side
Maldon & Tiptree. In his
first season at the club, he scored 33 goals in all competitions, including 29 goals in the league as he won the Golden Boot, helping
the Jammers to lift the league title. ==International career==